Niwot nixes homecoming parade

In an effort include a broader cross-section of the community, Niwot High will be hosting a carnival at Everly-Montgomery Field ahead of this year’s football game, instead of the traditional Homecoming parade through Old Town Niwot.

“It’s going to give all of our feeder schools a chance to participate and get excited about becoming Niwot Cougars,” Principal Eric Rauschkolb said of the upcoming event, which is being modeled after similar events at other district schools. Niwot’s official feeder schools are Burlington, Indian Peaks, and Niwot elementaries and Sunset Middle School. “We would love to have the Niwot community participate with us.”

The Homecoming Carnival is slated to kick-off at 5 p.m. in the parking lot outside of Longmont High, adjacent to Everly-Montgomery Field, the district stadium where the Cougars kick off against Littleton at 7 p.m.

The first 50 feeder school students in the gate will receive a special prize, and a few lucky students will get an even bigger prize, if they have the right skills.

“The feeder principals are doing a great job of publicizing it at their buildings,” Rauschkolb said. “In addition to that, most of the feeder school principals will be participating in the dunk tank.”

Sponsored by the Niwot Student Council, the family-friendly pre-game festival will also feature arcade games, a bouncy castle, and typical “fair” food, including ice cream and cotton candy. Admission to the Homecoming Carnival is free, and tickets to the game are $5 for students.

The high school homecoming parade has been a hallmark of fall in Niwot for decades, but scheduling conflicts and other logistical challenges made it increasingly difficult to include students and families from the growing enrollment area, not to mention the Cougar marching band and football team, which are otherwise engaged in pre-game preparations. According Niwot’s administration, the carnival model is also expected to boost general attendance at the game.